


Christmas Eve

by markijack



Series: 25 Days of Christmas [3]
Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Chase's kids - Freeform, Christmas Fluff, Disabled Character, Family, Fluff, Friendship, Inspired by Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Sign Language, that was already a tag somehow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-09-06 19:47:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16839217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/markijack/pseuds/markijack
Summary: Jameson can't participate in all the Christmas Eve activities with Chase and his kids, but his time to shine comes in the end.Loosely based on the story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer as part of my series of ego fics based on Christmas songs, but no name-calling in this version!





	Christmas Eve

**Author's Note:**

> I recently met two preschool-age kids, in totally separate circumstances, who were already learning sign language, and realizing that this is becoming a more common thing got me thinking about Chase's kids and how they might interact with Jameson.

JJ had never met Chase’s kids before, but he was happy for his friend that he got to see them for Christmas Eve. Even if they had to go back to their mother pretty early on Christmas morning, he knew how much it meant to Chase to have them for the night.

They were already there when he got home from the store, both sitting in Chase’s lap and talking over each other excitedly.

“Sorry, they’re kind of loud,” Chase said, but even if JJ had cared in the first place, he couldn’t be mad seeing the huge grin that refused to leave Chase’s face.

“They’re adorable,” he signed to Chase.

“Hey guys,” he said to the kids. “This is my friend Jamie. Can you say hi?”

“Hi!” his daughter called, while the son hid his face in Chase’s shoulder, evidently shy.

“It’s ok, buddy. I told you about Jamie, remember? I bet he’d love to see what you guys learn in school. Why don’t you spell your names for him?”

To JJ’s surprise, the little girl lifted her hands and spelled out ‘A-S-H-L-E-Y’ in sign language.

“It’s part of the curriculum for all the students at their school now!” Chase explained. “Kids pick it up so fast, too! I swear, they’re better at it than I am!”

“It’s nice to meet you, Ashley! How old are you?”

“Eight!” she announced proudly.

Carter was still too shy to introduce himself, but after a little while, when they all settled down to watch a movie together, he stopped hiding his face and smiled a little.

As it started getting closer to sunset, Chase asked, “Are you guys ready to go?”

“Where are you going?” JJ asked as his kids cheered.

“They’re going caroling with some of their friends tonight.”

“Can Jamie come sing with us, Daddy?” Ashley asked.

“Uh… Jamie can’t really sing, honey.”

“Neither can you, but you’re going!”

Chase laughed, though a little awkwardly. “That’s not what I meant, but thanks for the feedback. Jamie can’t talk, that’s why he uses sign language, like you do in school. So he can’t sing, either.”

Ashley frowned and turned to JJ. “Why can’t you talk?”

“Ashley!” Chase scolded, but JJ smiled at her. “I was just born that way.”

She nodded. “I was born in June!” Because to kids, it’s all kind of the same.

“You can come with us, though,” Chase said. “It might be cool to have someone signing the words, or you can just come hang out.”

“No, it’s okay. You guys go have fun. Let me know when you’re on your way home; I’ll have some hot chocolate waiting for you!”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, it’s fine.”

“Alright,” he said. “We won’t be out long.” He gave JJ a hug goodbye, wrapping his right arm around his shoulders because his left arm was holding Carter on his hip. Carter still wouldn’t meet JJ’s eyes, but JJ was pretty sure he felt a little hand give him a pat on the shoulder.

He waved goodbye until the door closed behind them, then he returned to the couch to find another movie to watch.

*******

“We’re home!” Ashley called.

As promised, JJ delivered each of them a mug of cocoa to welcome them home.

“Thanks, dude,” Chase said hoarsely. “All that singing in the cold air really hurt my throat.”

“Are you alright?”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

It wasn’t fine. As the night went on, Chase’s voice got weaker and weaker. By the kids’ bedtime, it was almost gone.

“Are you gonna read us The Night Before Christmas, Daddy?” Carter asked.

“I don’t know if I can, bud,” he rasped.

“But you do it every year!” Ashley complained.

JJ tapped his friend’s shoulder. “They know sign language, right?”

“Oh yeah!” He picked up the book and flipped through the first few pages. “Uh… but I might not know enough to translate it.”

JJ held his hands out for the book.

“Really?”

“You said they knew sign language better than you, right? Do you think they’d understand?”

“I don’t know,” he said, but he was smiling. “What do you guys think? Do you want Jamie to read to you?”

“Yeah!”

“Then take it away, my dude.”

JJ’s translation wasn’t perfect. He didn’t have the slightest clue how to sign ‘sugarplums,’ and sometimes the words he did know changed the flow a little - he had to translate ‘sash’ as ‘curtains’ - but he managed to get the entire through the entire story, and the kids seemed like they were following and enjoying it.

“Thanks, Jamie,” Ashley said when he finished, already yawning. “Goodnight.”

“Night-night Jamie,” Carter whispered.

“Goodnight, you two,” he signed. “Merry Christmas.”

**Author's Note:**

> If you want to know what songs the upcoming fics in this series will be based on, here's a playlist of them all in order: https://spoti.fi/2DWmfCz Thanks for reading!!!


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